It was definitely cold in the morning and what I thought might be a miserable day on cold rock turned out to be a fantastic day of sport, trad and bouldering!
The trip started at Central station where a bunch of us met up to catch the Blue Mountains train to Medlow Bath. For all of you who don't know, Medlow Bath is one of, if not the most accessible Blue Mountains crags by public transport. Therefore when Eamonn and I were picking a beginners crag, it was a no-brainer.
The jolly train crew consisted of myself, Wen Jun, Bojana, Sam and Ryan with Victor joining us at Strathfield. Warship joined us somewhere along the way when we realised he was in the next carriage! For me personally, it was fantastic seeing so many new faces. Eamonn had wisely designed the trip for people who have never or only once or twice been outdoors climbing. Everyone was happy to share their climbing experiences and I was more than happy to pass around my Blueies guide book for some "ooohhing" and "aahhhing" at sunkissed Blueies rock. I think it was after entering the mountains that I fell asleep...it was early after all.
When we arrived at Medlow Bath, we piled out of the train like clowns piling out of a mini cooper. Eamonn and Ewa had trained it down from Mt Victoria and were waiting for us at the top of the stairs. I quickly called Manon who had said she was driving from Katoomba, but then realised she had driven all the way to Mt Vic! I also called Izzy who had been patiently waiting on the other side of the station. After some faffing about we set off to the crag with the walk-in lasting about 20 mins from station to crag.
Once we were at the crag, Ewa took charge in leading the crew to the base of Manana, a classic Blueies 14 sport climb. Eamonn and I stayed back to set up two top-routes on the Block called Pitang Pitang (15) and Ole Biscuit Barrel (14). Oh my gosh the rock was cold! It was like climbing with tiny ice cubes stuck to your finger tips. I didn't realise how cold the rock was when Eamonn first lead Pitang Pitang. He cruised up it with a hairy moment near the top, whereas I took a fall on the traverse of Ole Biscuit Barrel. Commendations must go out to Bojana and Ryan who braved the cold rock after us. They climbed fantastically!
Around the corner, Ewa was playing mum and teaching some beginners how to tie figure 8s and how to clip quick draws. In leading any beginners climbing trip, its important to have at least 3 leaders so 2 can set up top ropes while the other one is briefing beginners. Together, Ewa and Wen Jun expeditiously set up the top rope on Manana. I didn't get a chance to see many people climb it in the morning, but it was definitely one route that people kept lining up for. Congrats to Ryan who also lead Manana later in the day.
Now remember how I was complaining about the cold? Well the skies eventually cleared and it was a gorgeous day with much welcomed sunlight from about 12-4:30pm. After setting up Pitang Pitang and Ole Biscuit Barrel, Eamonn and I set off to do a trad climb. Yes, a trad climb! Sitting pretty between the heinous slab climb Spook Eyes (18) and overhung route Radioactive Man (20), is a short but interesting crack line called Between the Lines (13T). There's a short over hung section, jugs on the right and if you really can't resist, some good hand-to-fist sized jams near the top. It was a great choice of route by Eamonn because it was something that beginners could easily jump on, or if they felt up for the challenge, they could do Spook Eyes on the left. According to the Crag, Eamonn is the fifth person to ascend Between the Lines. His verdict? Two stars, mega classic.
By this time, it was lunch time, so we decided to check out the action at Manana while enjoying our sandwiches and wraps. When we got to the base of Manana we saw a tiny human being about 4 metres from the top. His name is Xavier and he is Manon's younger brother. Just like his sister, Xavier is an adventurer. Earlier on in the day he was bouncing around exploring the crag before smashing Manana as well as Between the Lines with some positive sister encouragement ("I'm not letting you down!"). All us 'adults' agreed that at age 11, we definitely weren't rock climbing in the mountains.
I personally had my eyes set on Radioactive Man (20) which is slightly overhung all the way with jugs turning into positive crimps near the top. I fell twice before getting the send. Unknowingly I also took off the crux draw on my rap down, but Eamonn flashed it without difficulty. Wen Jun followed with another flash
About this time it was getting late in the day, and there was still a rope on Spook Eyes/Between the Lines. After everyone had had a chance to jump on the wall, I decided to clean Spook Eyes. Now I am pretty sure that no sport climb starts with a sit-start, but Eamonn was adamant that this is how it's done. I tried to go left, but that didn't work. When I went right, I fell upside down with about half a metre between me and the ground. Okay, go left. There is one pretty big move to get on to the slab, and then once you're on it the pain isn't over. About two-thirds of the way up, the holds become really thin and it's difficult to see what you're going for. After taking a fall, I dug my right toe into what was previously a mono and slowly inched towards safety. Spooky!
We quickly packed up after this, aiming to catch the 5:19 train to Katoomba for dinner. Wen Jun led the beginners out, while Ewa, Eamonn and I packed up and cleaned Ole Biscuit Barrel. As soon we reached the top of the walking track, we checked the time and crammed into Izzy's car in order to make it to the train station. Some of us caught the train to Katoomba, while the remainder got a lift with Izzy. It was at this point that we parted ways with Ewa who was on her way back to her Mt Vic cottage.
At Katoomba, we first went for drinks at the Old City Bank Bar/Hotel. Eamonn was disappointed they didn't have the double chocolate stout and Warship was kind enough to tip. We stayed there for about 45 mins before heading over to Rene's Pizza across the street. I like to think of Rene's as a climbing tradition in the Blueies. If you haven't been there before, it's a must! It's not owned by Rene Provis, but wouldn't it be cool if it was?
We all ordered our pizzas and pastas, including pizza for Brendan and Rene who were coming from Mt Piddington. Enjoying our food and the confusion of the wait staff, we stayed there until maybe 8:30-9 before heading back to Sydney. Thank you to Izzy and Brendan for driving us back. It was a wonderful day with wonderful climbing and company.